Self-laminating rotating cable marker with breakaway portion

ABSTRACT

A self-laminating rotating cable marker label is constructed of a transparent film having a first adhesive area, an adhesive-free smooth area, and a second adhesive area. A print-on area forms one side of the transparent film, the print-on area adapted to receive indicia identifying the cable about which the marker label is applied. A perforation extends across the transparent film providing a line of separation of the transparent film. When wrapped around a cable, the second adhesive area overlies the print-on area such that the cable identifying indicia is visible through the transparent second adhesive area. As the transparent film is wrapped around the cable, the first adhesive area adheres to the cable. The remainder of the transparent film is rotated, breaking the perforation, whereby the smooth area of the film in contact with the cable provides smooth rotation of the label around the cable.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/680,828, filed Nov. 12, 2019, which issued as U.S. Pat. No.10,636,328 on Apr. 28, 2020; which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/383,955, filed Apr. 15, 2019, which issued asU.S. Pat. No. 10,482,794 on Nov. 19, 2019; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/262,561, filed Sep. 12, 2016, whichissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,262,562 on Apr. 16, 2019; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/485,960, filed Sep.15, 2014, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,443,449 on Sep. 13, 2016;which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/586,637,filed on Aug. 15, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/437,187, filed on May 7, 2009, which issued asU.S. Pat. No. 8,263,201 on Sep. 11, 2012, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/051,976, filed on May 9, 2008.Each of these applications is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cable identification label that rotates aboutthe cable to allow the label to be read at any position and, moreparticularly, to a self-laminating cable marker label with a breakawayportion that allows the label to rotate on the cable after installation,and permits the label to be applied to a terminated cable withoutdisconnecting a previously connected cable.

BACKGROUND

It is important that cables used to make electrical and mechanicalconnections between control, operating, and other systems be properlylabeled to allow cables to be moved, added to such systems, changed,repaired, and/or identified for trouble shooting maintenance. In somecases, such labels are required, such as to meet ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-Acompliance pursuant to the Administrative Standard for CommercialTelecommunications Infrastructure (2002).

Presently available labels used to mark cables have an adhesive surfaceand an opposed printable surface, with the cable marker indicia appliedto the printable surface. The adhesive side of the label attaches to theouter insulation layer surrounding the cable, such that the label is notrotatable around the cable. Thus, in certain cable installationenvironments, the cable marker label may be facing in a directionwhereby the markings on the label are not visible to an observer, andthe adhesive attaching the label to the cable prevents the label frombeing rotated around the cable for ease of observation.

Other presently available cable marker labels comprise a hollowcylindrical label with cable identification markings imprinted on theouter surface of the cylindrical label. These labels are capable ofrotating when applied over a cable; however, one end of the cable mustbe disconnected to allow one of these cylindrical labels to be installedover the cable, or the cylindrical label must be applied over the cableprior to installation. The disconnection of one end of the cable toapply a rotatable label presents a high degree of inconvenience, andpotential for error, where a great number of cables are attached toconnecting points in a small space, as is usually the case in most cableinstallations. In addition, those working in the industry havediscovered that it is advisable to apply a cable marker label to a cableafter connection of the cable at both ends to maintain necessary qualityand accuracy of the total installation.

A further presently available cable marker label, such as the CableIdentification System disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,362, owned byPanduit Corp., comprises a two-piece split sleeve label spacerpositioned circumferentially around a cable, and an adhesive labelsecured circumferentially around the label spacer.

Another cable marker presently available comprises a rotatable labelstrip with a write-on area on the front side of the label strip, and apartial adhesive on the back of the label strip opposite the write-onarea. One end of the strip is wrapped around the cable and attaches tothe adhesive side. This strip is not capable of adjusting to the size ofthe cable, nor of providing a protective over-laminate segment toprotect the printed-on indicia against smudging or erasure.

Therefore, there is a need for a cable marker label that is rotatablyapplied to the cable, can be applied to terminated cable withoutdisconnecting an end of the cable connection, can be applied over acable in a matter of seconds, is a one-piece or two-piece construction,provides a clear, protective over-laminate segment covering the print-onarea, and is inexpensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A self-laminating cable marker label with a breakaway portion isprovided that allows rotation of the label on the cable afterinstallation. This allows the label to be rotated on the cable and beread from any position. The label in one embodiment comprises a strip oftransparent film material having a first pressure sensitive adhesivearea applied over a first portion of one side of the film, a secondportion of the film comprising a print-on or pre-printed label area withan adhesive-free smooth undersurface having a low coefficient offriction, and a third clear over-laminate portion of the film having asecond pressure sensitive adhesive area applied over the third portionon the same side of the film as the first adhesive area. A breakawayperforation is applied to the film at or adjacent the junction betweenthe first adhesive area and the print-on label area. The transparentfilm material is thin so as not to materially add to the profile of thecable.

The film is wrapped around the cable over an approximate four hundredfifty degree distance, with the first adhesive layer engaging andadhering to the cable and also engaging and adhering to a portion of thefilm as the wrap extends beyond three hundred sixty degrees. Thewrapping of the film about the cable continues until the print-on orpre-printed, non-adhesive label portion of the film is wrapped aroundthe cable over an approximate four hundred fifty degree distance. Thecable is held against rotation, while a tangent force is applied to theunwrapped portion of the label. The second pre-printed label portion andthe third adhesive portion of the film break from the first portion ofthe film along the perforation, such that the first film portion remainsadhesively secured to the cable. After separation, the thirdover-laminate portion is adhesively attached to the upper surface of thelabel area by continuing to wrap the film around the label, thusproviding a protective layer over the print-on area of the rotatablelabel portion. The pre-printed label portion and the clear over laminateportion are free to rotate about the outer, non-adhesive surface of thefirst film portion. Since the outwardly facing surface of the filmunderlying the pre-printed label portion and the underside of thepre-printed label portion are adhesive free, the pre-printed labelportion is able to achieve three hundred sixty degree rotation aroundthe cable.

In a further embodiment, a two-piece self-laminating rotatable cablemarker label is provided comprising a first clear material partiallyattached to a throw-away liner or substrate on one side of the label bya pressure sensitive adhesive, with a second non-adhesive, lowcoefficient of friction material also adhesively attached to the sameside of the second clear material as the substrate. A print-on orpre-printed area is disposed on a portion of the opposite side of thefirst clear material. A perforation extends through the non-adhesivematerial and the clear material, and a cable-identifying indicia isprinted or pre-printed on the print-on area. The cable marker label isremoved from the substrate, and is then wrapped around the cable with aportion of the pressure sensitive adhesive anchoring an end of the firstclear material to the cable. As the cable marker label continues to bewrapped around the cable, the second non-adhesive material layercontacts the outer surface of the cable over a circumferential extentthat varies in relation to the diameter of the cable. As wrappingcontinues, the underside of clear smooth material extends over the outerside of the first clear material, and the adhesive causes the firstclear material to adhere to itself, simultaneously protectively coveringthe print-on area with the first clear material. The indicia on theprint-on area is visible through the clear material and the clearadhesive layer. The outer wrapping of the clear material is then grippedand slightly rotated in the same direction as the previous wrappingoperation. The second non-adhesive material and the first clear materialportion anchored to the cable then separate along the perforation,whereby the remainder of the second non-adhesive clear material and itsprint-on area are free to rotate around the circumference of the cable,with the low-coefficient, non-adhesive second material the only part ofthe rotatable cable marker label that is in contact with the cablesurface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain examples of the present invention are illustrated by theaccompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are notnecessarily to scale and that details that are not necessary for anunderstanding of the invention, or that render other details difficultto perceive, may be omitted. It should be understood, of course, thatthe invention is not necessarily limited to the particular examplesillustrated herein.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the rotatable filmand label combination strip of an embodiment of the present inventionwrapped around a cable, showing the different portions of the film andthe location of the perforation in the illustrated embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the film and label combination strip of theembodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the locationof the first adhesive pressure sensitive area of the film, the secondprint-on or pre-printed label portion, the third over laminate portion,and the location of the perforation between the first and secondportions of the illustrated embodiment;

FIGS. 3-7 diagrammatically illustrate the steps of wrapping thetransparent film and label combination strip of the embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 around a cable, breaking thefilm along the perforation, applying the over laminate protectiveportion of the film over the print-on area of the label, and rotatingthe label once applied to the cable;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of another embodiment of the rotatable film andlabel combination strip of the present invention, providing overhangingends of the printed label area for preventing migration of the printedlabel along the axis of the cable, and a construction that aids incompensating for undesirable wrapping in a non-circular direction;

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate, in cross-section views, the method of applyingthe rotatable film and label combination strip of FIG. 8 to a cable;

FIG. 12 is a further embodiment of the rotatable film and labelcombination strip of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the film and label combinationstrip of the embodiment of FIG. 12 shown wrapped around a cable;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a plurality of film and label strips of theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2, 8 and 12, shown removably adhered toa substrate following the mass production of the film and labelcombination strips of these embodiments;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing the manual removal of a film andlabel strip from the substrate of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of theinvention comprising a two-piece construction;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in FIG. 16 shown wrapped around a cable of small to mediumdiameter, and showing the various portions of the rotatable cable markerlabel;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in FIG. 16, shown wrapped around a cable of medium to largediameter, and showing the various portions of the rotatable cablemarker;

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a plurality of film and label combinationstrips of the embodiment of FIG. 16 adhered to a removable substratefollowing the mass production of the film and label combination of thisembodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 20-23 diagrammatically illustrate the steps of wrapping thetransparent film and label combination strip of the embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIG. 16 around a cable, including removing acable marker label from a substrate, adhering the top adhesive-backedanchor end of the label to a cable outer jacket, wrapping the labelaround the cable jacket and over itself until completely wrapped, androtating the label to break the label at its perforation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the self-laminatingrotating cable marker label of the present invention is illustrated.FIG. 1 shows the combination film and label strip 10 wrapped around acable 12. Cable 12 is normally surrounded by a cable jacket (not shown).Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the combined film and label strip 10comprises an elongated strip of thin film material 14 made oftransparent flexible material such as vinyl, polyolefin, polyester orother suitable material. The film material 14 comprises a first portionor area 16 having a pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the underside18 (FIG. 1). A second portion of strip 14 comprises a print-on orpre-printed label area 20. No adhesive is applied to the underside ofprinted label area 20, and the underside of strip 14 opposite area 20has a low friction outer facing surface. In an embodiment, the printedlabel area 20 is located on a second side of strip 14 opposite theunderside 18 of strip 14. A perforation 22 extends through the filmstrip 14 and across the width of strip 14 adjacent or at the junction offirst adhesive area 16 and printed label area 20. Strip 14 also includesa third clear over-laminate portion 24 having a transparent pressuresensitive adhesive area 26 applied to the underside, such that thirdportion 24 provides a clear, transparent over-laminate area, forpurposes to be explained.

Referring to FIG. 2, the forward end of the strip 14 is designated A,the general location of perforation 22 is designated B, the end of theprinted label area 20 is designated C, and the trailing end of strip 14is designated D. As seen in the embodiment of the invention described inFIG. 1, when strip 14 is initially wrapped around cable 12, the adhesivearea 16 extending along strip 14 between A and B attaches first adhesivearea 16 to cable 12, providing an anchor for further wrapping strip 14around cable 12. In the illustrated embodiment, first adhesive area 16of strip 14 is wrapped a distance greater than three hundred sixtydegrees around cable 12, for example four hundred fifty degrees assuggested in FIG. 2, such that first adhesive area 16 is attached tocable 12 over a circumferential distance relative to the diameter of thecable 12. In addition, first adhesive area 16 is attached to itself overninety degrees in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, when first adhesive area 16 iswrapped a total of four hundred fifty degrees around cable 12,perforation 22 is in the position B shown in FIG. 1, with position Bapproximately ninety degrees from position A. However, the firstadhesive area 16 may be wrapped around cable 12 over other circulardistance ranges depending on the diameter of cable 12, such that firstadhesive area 16 is always firmly anchored to cable 12. The angularwrapping parameters mentioned above are exemplary only, and othercircular wrapping distances may be utilized within the scope of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, when the strip 10 is applied to cable 12, printedlabel area 20 extends over the upper surface of first adhesive area 16of label strip 14, such that printed label area 20 overlies firstadhesive area 16 over a distance greater than three hundred sixtydegrees. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, printed label area 20extends four hundred fifty degrees beyond position B of perforation 22,as designated at position C. Other angular distances may also besuitable. Since the printed label area 20 does not have an adhesivebottom, the printed label area 20 is capable of circumferential rotativemovement about the non-adhesive top side of first adhesive area 16 ofstrip 14 were the perforation 22 broken, as will be explained. The thirdclear over-laminate portion 24 of strip 14 extends over the printedlabel area 20 by a distance of one hundred eighty degrees to position Din the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1; however, other angular distanceranges may be used as a result of varying diameter of cable 12. Theover-laminate portion 24 is adhered to the outside of printed label area20 due to adhesive area 26, and provides a protective transparent coverover the printed label area 20 to prevent smudging of the printedindicia as the installed label is manually rotated to a readableposition.

The present invention contemplates in one embodiment, that a pluralityof strips 14 will be provided to the user in a roll or other suitableform having the strips 14 removably adhered to a substrate 28 in alinear array (FIG. 14). The adhesive segments 16, 26 at both ends ofstrip 14 removably adhere the strip to the substrate 28, such that eachstrip 14 may be manually removed from substrate 28 when a label is to beapplied to a cable 12, as illustrated in FIG. 15. Each strip 14 onsubstrate 28 includes perforation 22. In one embodiment, substrate 28 isformed in two parallel portions 30, 32, with an open space 34 beneaththe printed label area 20 of the strip 14.

FIGS. 3-7 illustrate the unique method of applying the combined film andlabel strip 10 to a cable 12. First, a single strip of material 14 witha print-on or pre-printed label area 20 is manually removed fromportions 30, 32 of substrate 28 (FIG. 15). As shown in FIG. 3, the firstadhesive area 16 of strip 14 is tightly wrapped around cable 12 suchthat adhesive underside 18 anchors first portion 16 to cable 12. Firstadhesive area 16 is wrapped around cable 12 beyond three hundred sixtydegrees, such that a segment of adhesive area 16 overlies and adheres tothe upper surface of a previously wrapped segment of adhesive area 16,as shown between positions A and B in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the wrapping process continues as printedlabel area 20 is wrapped over the upper, non-adhesive surface of firstarea 16 of strip 14. In the illustrated embodiment, label area 20 iswrapped over approximately a four hundred fifty degree distance aroundcable 12, extending from B to C as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. Pressuresensitive area 26 of over-laminate portion 24 of strip 14 is thenpartially adhesively adhered to a portion of label area 20 over anapproximate ninety-degree extent in the illustrated embodiment. Thewrapping steps are halted at this point, with the outer segment 25 ofthird over-laminate portion 24 of strip 14 extending outward fromprinted label area 20, as seen in FIG. 5. Next, the cable 12 is heldagainst rotation, the label area 20 is grasped and pulled in a directiontangent to cable 12 in the direction of wrapping, applying a torsionalforce sufficient to separate first adhesive area 16 from printed labelarea 20 along perforation 22. After perforation 22 is broken, theremaining segment 25 of pressure sensitive over-laminate 24 is wrappedover and adhered to the label area 20, as shown in FIG. 6. As theperforation 22 breaks, printed label area 20 is free to rotate in eitherdirection about the smooth outer surface of first adhesive area 16 offilm material 14, as depicted in FIG. 7, and due to the smooth undersideof printed label area 20 that is in contact with the smooth outersurface of first adhesive area 16 of film 14 over a distance of threehundred sixty degrees or more. In the illustrated embodiment, the smoothunderside of printed label area 20 is coated with silicon to provide alow coefficient of friction between printed label area 20 and thenon-adhesive upper surface of area 16.

FIGS. 8 through 11 disclose a further embodiment of the invention ofFIGS. 1-7, configured to prevent axial movement of the combined film andlabel strip 10 after application to the cable 12. Referring to FIG. 8,strip of material 114, made from the same selection of materials asstrip 14 of FIG. 2, comprises a first portion 116 having an adhesiveunderside and a non-adhesive top side, a second smooth printed labelarea 120, and a third clear over-laminate portion 124. The undersidearea 118 (FIGS. 9-11) of first portion 116 is coated with a pressuresensitive adhesive material, and the underside area of clear overlaminate portion 124 is also coated with a similar adhesive material.Perforation 122 extends across strip 114 at or adjacent the junctionbetween first portion 116 and printed label area 120.

As seen in FIG. 8, in this embodiment the lateral width of printed labelarea 120 is greater than the width of first portion 116 of strip 114. Inaddition, clear over-laminate portion 124 tapers inward from itsjunction with printed label area 120.

The method used to wrap and install strip 114 to cable 12 is the same asthat described for the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7. FIG. 9 shows, incross-section, first portion 116 wrapped around, and adhesively adheredto, cable 12. FIG. 10 shows, in cross-section, the wider printed labelarea 120 slidably wrapped around first portion 116. FIG. 11 shows, incross-section, clear over-laminate portion 124 wrapped around andadhesively adhered to printed label area 120.

As seen in FIG. 10, printed label area 120 is wrapped over first portion116 of strip 114 such that lateral edges 126, 128 overhang the sideedges of first portion 116. When applying strip 114 to cable 12, afterover-laminate portion 124 is fully wrapped over the label area 120 andafter perforation 122 has been broken, the user manually movesoverhanging lateral edges 126 and 128 to the position shown in FIG. 11,engaging the side edges of first portion 116, and engaging cable 12. Thelateral edges 126, 128 will remain in the position shown in FIG. 11 dueto the tension applied to strip 114 during the wrapping process. As seenin FIG. 11, rotatable label area 120 is restrained against axialmovement along cable 12 due to the contact of lateral edges 126, 128with first portion 116 and cable 12.

As seen in FIG. 8, clear over-laminate portion 124 is tapered toward theouter end to compensate for possible side or off-center movement of thestrip 114 during the aforementioned wrapping process.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict an alternate embodiment of the invention shown inFIGS. 1-7 and 8-11. In this embodiment, first adhesive area 16 of strip14 is the same width as printed label area 20, and the method ofapplying strip 14 of FIGS. 12 and 13 to cable 12 is the same asdescribed above regarding the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7. In the embodimentof FIGS. 12 and 13, clear over laminate portion 224 is tapered inwardlytowards an end of the strip. When strip 14 of FIG. 12 is wrapped aroundcable 12 as previously described, tapered over laminate portion 224 ispositioned as shown in FIG. 13, adhesively fastened to printed labelarea 20. If the wrapping process used was slightly off center, thetapered portion 224 would engage label area 20 towards one lateral sideor the other but would retain full engagement.

FIGS. 16-23 disclose an additional embodiment of the present inventioncomprising a two-piece, self-laminating cable marker label 300 thatprovides an outward force away from the cable jacket during applicationand use of the label. This outward force assists with wrapping the labelslightly loose which makes it easier to rotate to break the perforation314 and easier to rotate over the cable jacket once the label isdisengaged from the anchor section 320.

The outward force in combination with a silicon coating or other slipagent on the side of the material adjacent to and contacting the cablejacket provides a looser, smoothly rotating label marker that can beread from all angles after installation. The two-material constructionof the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 16-23 also allows foradded flexibility in material selection to achieve the desiredperformance characteristics for each section of the label.Characteristics include coefficient of friction of the outer surface foruser grip during rotation, coefficient of friction of the inner surfacefor slip on the cable jacket, pliability and perforation tearcharacteristics. The two-material construction may also provide asimpler means of manufacturing the product when compared to othermethods of creating a non-adhesive section on the label.

Referring to FIG. 16, the illustrated embodiment of the invention isshown in exaggerated thickness and comprises a cable marker label 300having a throw away liner or substrate 302 and a first clear transparentfilm material 304.

A thin pressure sensitive clear adhesive layer 306 is juxtaposed betweenthe throw away liner or substrate 302 and the first clear material 304.A second non-adhesive clear material 308 is located between adjacentportions of substrate 302 and first clear material 304, the secondnon-adhesive material 308 being adhered to first clear material 304 byadhesive layer 306. Second non-adhesive material 308 is located at adistance from a leading edge of first material 304 by a distance betweenlines A′-B′ in FIG. 16 to provide an anchor portion 320 for label 300,as will be explained. Second non-adhesive material 308 is longer in thelengthwise direction, shown by the distance B′ to D′ in FIG. 16, thanthe circumferential length about the cable to which cable marker label300 is applied. Also, second non-adhesive material 308 may have a smoothsilicon-coated outer surface 310 providing a low coefficient of frictionwhen material 308 is applied over the cable or cable jacket 322 (FIG.17) as will be explained. In addition, the material selected for thesecond non-adhesive material 308 has favorable perforation tearcharacteristics, and in the illustrated embodiment second material 308is stiffer than first material 304. The silicon-coated outer surface 310of non-adhesive material 308 is free of adhesive.

A print-on or pre-printed label area 312 is located on a side of firstclear material 304 opposite to adhesive layer 306 as seen in FIG. 16.The surface of label area 312 directed away from first clear material304 has a surface adapted to receive cable-identifying indicia appliedthereto as is known in the art. A perforation 314 is located at oradjacent a portion 316 of second non-adhesive material 308. Perforation314 also extends through a portion 318 of first clear material 304.

As seen in FIG. 16, the illustrated embodiment of the cable marker label300, upon removal of substrate 302, includes the adhesive-coated anchorportion 320 on the underside of first clear material 304, which anchorportion extends between lines A′-B′. Portion B′-D′ of cable marker label300 includes a smooth, non-adhesive surface on the outer facing side 310of second non-adhesive material 308. Lines B′-C′ define the printedlabel area 312 on an opposite side of first clear material 304 fromadhesive layer 306. Linear portion D′-E′ of cable marker label 300comprises first clear material 304 having a clear adhesive undersideformed by adhesive material 306. The adhesive material 306 istransparent, allowing images beneath first clear material 304 to bevisible to an observer.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate the cable marker label 300 of the embodimentof the invention shown in FIG. 16 installed on a cable 322, which cableis normally covered on its outer circumference by a cable jacket (notshown). FIG. 17 shows the label 300 wrapped around a relatively small tomedium sized cable 322, such as an R100×150 CAT 5 installation. FIG. 18shows the label 300 wrapped around a relatively medium to large cable322, such as an R100×150 CAT 6 installation.

Referring to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 17, after a marker label300 is installed on a cable 322 using the method to be described, theanchor portion 320 is adhesively attached directly to cable 322, or thejacket surrounding cable 322, over the distance indicated by lines A′-B′in FIG. 17, which is approximately a one hundred eighty degree arc inthe illustrated embodiment. The non-adhesive print area 312, which istypically pre-printed with cable identifying indicia, extends aroundcable 322 over an arcuate distance of approximately two hundred seventydegrees, as illustrated by the arc between lines B′-C′ in FIG. 17. ArcsA′-B′ and B′-C′ will vary proportional to the diameter of cable 322. Anend of print area 312 overlies an upper surface of a segment of adhesiveanchor 320. As seen in FIG. 16, the underside segment B′-D′ of firstmaterial 304 underlying print area 312 is attached to secondadhesive-free material 308. Thus, the non-adhesive print area 312 (FIG.17) does not adhere to either cable 322 or to anchor portion 320. In theembodiment of FIG. 17, the arc B′-D′ extends over an angular distance ofapproximately four hundred ninety five degrees. This distance will varyproportional to the diameter of cable 322.

As seen in FIG. 17, the transparent segment of second non-adhesivematerial 308 extending beyond print area 312, which print area is formedwith or attached to first clear material 304, extends around andoverlies a segment of adhesive anchor portion 320, and also overlies asegment of the print area 312 as indicated by the arc C′-D′ in FIG. 17.Since the underside of second material 308 is adhesive-free, secondmaterial 308 does not adhere to either adhesive anchor 320 or to printarea 312. Also, the underside of print area 312 and the underside ofsecond clear material 308 may be silicon coated, providing a low ornegligible coefficient of friction between print area 312 and cable 322over the circumference of cable 322 extending between B′-A′ and betweenprint area 312 and the upper surface of adhesive anchor 320 extendingover the arc defined between lines A′-B′ in FIG. 17.

The adhesive laminate segment 324 of adhesive-backed first clearmaterial 304 is wrapped around, and adhered to, the upper surface of aportion of print area 312, and to the upper surface of a portion ofsecond clear material 308 over the arc extending between D′-E′ in FIG.17. The arc D′-E′ is approximately two hundred twenty five degrees inthe embodiment of FIG. 17; however, this arc may vary depending upon thediameter of cable 322. Laminate segment 324 is transparent, and theadhesive layer 306 comprises a clear adhesive. Thus, the indicia onprint area 312 are readable through both first material 304 and secondmaterial 308.

The perforation 314 extends through both first and second clearmaterials 304 and 308 at the approximate location shown in FIGS. 16 and17 to allow segments of first and second clear materials 304, 308 to beseparated from adhesive anchor portion 320, as will be described.

FIG. 18 illustrates the label 300 of the embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIGS. 16-23 installed and wrapped around a medium tolarge sized cable. Like elements identified in FIG. 17 are designated bysimilar numerals in FIG. 18. In this installation of label 300 over alarger cable 322 compared to the cable depicted in FIG. 17, the adhesiveanchor portion 320 of first clear material 304 is adhered to cable 322over an arc of approximately one hundred thirty five degrees, along thecircumferential distance A′-B′ in FIG. 18. The non-adhesive print area312 extends approximately one hundred eighty degrees over the arcdesignated B′-C′ and the non-adhesive second clear material 308 extendsover the arc designated B′-D′ or approximately three hundred sixtydegrees. Since the second clear material 308 is adhesive-free on itsunderside, and may be coated with a silicon material, there is noadhesion of second clear material 308 to either cable 322 or to theupper side of adhesive anchor 306.

Adhesive over-laminate segment 324 extends over, and is adhesivelyconnected to, the outer surface of non-adhesive print area 312 over anarc of approximately one hundred eighty degrees, as designed by thearcuate distance D′-E′ in FIG. 18. Over-laminate segment 324 is clear,and the adhesive on the underside of segment 324 is transparent, thusrendering the indicia printed on print area 312 visible to an observer.The over-laminate segment 324 also provides a clear protective layerover the print-on area 312.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of throw-away liner or substrate 302 to which aplurality of cable marker labels 300 have been attached for delivery toa user. Each label 300 is removably adhered to substrate 302 by theclear adhesive on the underside of end portion 318 and the underside ofadhesive laminate segment 324 of first clear material 304. Theadhesive-free second clear material 308 with a silicon coated undersideextends between adhesive bearing end portion 318 and laminate segment324, whereby the second clear material 308 is not adhered to thesubstrate 302. The perforation 314 extends through both first clearmaterial 304 and second clear material 308, as described previously, ofeach label 300. The print-on label area 312 faces upward and forms apart of first clear material 304.

Upon applying the cable marker label 300 to the cables 322 illustratedin FIGS. 17 and 18, first the cable identifying indicia is printed on orotherwise applied to the outer or exposed surface of label area 312.Then, referring to FIG. 20, a label 300 is removed from the substrate302, exposing the adhesive material 306 on one side of first clearmaterial 304, which adhesive material does not cover the underside ofsecond non-adhesive material 308. The second non-adhesive material 308is adhered to one side of clear material 304 by adhesive layer 306. Toeasily remove the label 300 from substrate 302, a finger is slid underthe second clear material 308, as seen in FIG. 20. The underside ofmaterial 308 is adhesive-free, and is not attached to substrate 308.Also, the adhesive layer 306 on the underside of end portion 318 andover-laminate segment 324 is not a strong adhesive, whereby the label300 is readily removed from substrate 302.

The adhesive anchor portion 320 of first clear material 304 is thenattached to the outer surface of cable 322, and the cable marker label300 is continually wrapped around the cable as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22,while adhesive anchor portion 320 attaches the portion A′-B′ to thecable 322, preventing slippage of the cable marker label 300 around thecable. As the cable marker label 300 is wrapped around the cable, thenon-friction areas B′-D′ of second non-adhesive material 308 extendaround the outer surface of cable 322 for a distance greater than threehundred sixty degrees in the embodiments of FIGS. 17 and 18, since thelength of non-adhesive material 308 in those embodiments is greater thanthe circumferential dimension of the cable 322. For larger cableapplications, the second non-adhesive material 308 may extend around thecable 322 over a lesser circumferential distance.

As the wrapping process continues as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, theadhesive 306 at portion D′-E′ of first clear material 304 extends overand beyond the portion of first clear material 304 comprising printedlabel area 312, thus over-lying the label area 312 with first clearmaterial 304. The adhesive portion D′-E′ of clear material 304 thenadheres the leading portion of clear material 304 to the previouslywound outer surface of clear material 304, as seen in FIGS. 17 and 18.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 16-23, the stiffness of secondclear material 308 is greater than the stiffness of first clear material304. As the label 300 is wrapped around cable 322, the stiffer secondclear material provides an outward force tending to wrap the label 300radially away from cable 322, providing a loose wrap enabling the label300 to be installed easily over the cable, and to allow free rotation ofthe label 300 around the cable 322.

After the cable marker label 300 has been wound around cable 322 asdescribed above, and as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a slight rotativeforce in the wrapping direction from portion A′-B′ towards portion B′-C′is manually applied to the cable marker label, breaking perforation 314and allowing second non-adhesive material 308, and the remainder ofclear material 304 that is not adjacent and is linearly beyond adhesiveanchor portion 320, to freely rotate around cable 322. Upon breakingperforation 314 as illustrated in FIG. 23, the low coefficient offriction non-adhesive inner side 310 of non-adhesive material 308 iscapable of freely rotating around cable 322 to facilitate viewing of theindicia at any angle. Also, printed label area 312 is covered andprotected by clear material 304 adhesively applied over the printedlabel area, thus preventing smudging or removal of the cable-identifyingindicia applied to printed label area 312.

The present invention has been described as embodiments for applying arotatable self-laminating marker label to a cable, where the label canbe circumferentially moved around the cable for ease of reading at anyorientation. It is to be understood that the label structure andapplication method disclosed herein can be used to apply identificationlabels to other devices, such as fluid conduits, axially moveablecontrol wires, tubular static structures, or the like.

It should be noted that the above-described illustrated embodiments ofthe invention are not exhaustive of the form the self-laminatingrotating cable marker label in accordance with the invention might take.Rather, the disclosed embodiments serve as exemplary and illustrativeembodiments of the invention as presently understood. It is intendedthat the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, butbe defined by the claims set forth below.

What is claimed:
 1. A self-laminating cable marker system comprising: asubstrate; at least one cable marker at least partially adhered to thesubstrate wherein the cable marker has a first transparent portion, asecond non-transparent portion next to the first portion and a thirdtransparent portion having adhesive such that an underside of the thirdportion can adhere to a top side of the second portion when theself-laminating cable marker is wrapped around a cable, wherein thefirst portion is separable from the second portion via a performation.